Research

Sound

Sound design is arguably one of the most important parts of a cinematic experience. Second to image, sound is crucial to immerse an audience and create a believable world space.

Almost all media types are accompanied by sound design, and some brands rely on sound as a trademark for their brand (McDonalds, and MGM).

Fundamentals of Sound :

• pitch 
• duration 
• intensity 
• timbre 
• velocity

These are the basic properties of sound. All sounds that we hear and all sounds that we create rely on these 5 basic fundamentals. 

Pitch refers to the note or key of a sound. This can raise or lower to create a melody or add character to a conversation. 

Duration refers to the length of time a sound is carried out for. Lets say a track is 4:30 minutes long, then that means that the track has a duration of 4:30. In music terms, Tempo can also work alongside duration. Tempo refers to the Beats Per Minute (bpm) of a track. This is why some tracks are faster or slower than others. These would be recorded to a click track of that BPM metronome. 

Intensity, or Acoustic Intensity is the amount of power that a soundwave carries. This does not necessarily mean volume, just the amount of power created by a soundwave.

Location sound: 

Location sound is sound captured with a portable recorder. It will consist of on set foley work, and and is not recorded on a sound stage. This is important, because it captures the real on set acoustics, rather than that of a digitally altered environment. 

This kind of sound can be dubbed into the final mix to help create realism in a scene. 

Sounds may consist of:

• Footsteps
• People Talking
• Character Movement
• Traffic
• Dogs Barking
• Sirens
• Overhead Aircrafts
• Ambience

Foley:

An alternative example of "overdubbed" sounds (and also the primary tool used in cinema sound design) is soundstage foley capture.

Foley capture is a reproduction of physical sound effects. They are mixed and mastered in Post-Production, and is an unseen art in the media industry. 

To put this into perspective, all Video Game sounds are added in post. Every step your character takes is an individual sound that reacts with how you control it. These kinds of sounds can not all be recorded on set so to speak, because nothing on screen physically exists to make the sound.

This video demonstrates how the character reacts with the environment. Its as if every material on his body is replicated and mixed in a studio to create true-to-life immersive realism.

Of course, Video Games aren't to the only acceptation to foley work. Almost all media forms incorporate intense sound design to better help an audience grasp their indented idea.

For instance, advertisement agencies will use hunger inducing sounds to sell a food product in a commercial.

Sprite, for example, release their commercials with 'fizzing' sounds. This helps the audience imagine the sound of opening a sprite bottle, making them crave that product. Aside from this, the music score included always uses a high end boosted, fuzz distorted track. Reminding us of the 'fizz' that their products make. These sounds would have also been recorded on a soundstage. As all audio is intentionally crafted, every sound that we hear in media is placed their deliberately; Always leading back to a sound stage where foley is created.

Dialogue:

ADR (Automated Dialogue Replacement) is where actors re-record their lines in a professional setting. They will use high quality studio mics and have presented the recorded scene and a script. This audio capture method is extremely common in modern cinema. It means not only do the cast and crew have to worry less about sound design on set: But, also means that the sound technician can mix each vocal track individually (to suit each actor). 

For example, I was watching a Netflix show called  A Series of Unfortunate Events. I noticed how, in some scenes, the dialogue seemed poorly recorded. Not in the sense that it was out of sync; But that the post processing was poorly managed. I noticed how Male characters with boomy voices were given a low cut and a high boost (more on this later). This helped give their dialogue a crisp finish that would increase sound quality. However, the woman were also given this same post processing effect. Meaning that as they spoke, there was not enough low end to sell the idea that the characters were in the same image space. I am assuming that this is because all dialogue was recoded on set with a boom mic. Because of this, the dialogue was not able to reach its full potential quality. If the production team opted for the ADR approach, then I would have never noticed the frequency issue.

Music Score:

Musical scores are the melodic sounds backing in screen actions. 

Hans Zimmer

Hans Zimmer is a multi-Grammy award winning German film score composer. His work is considered to be the best in the industry, and is sought after for many major movies. He is best known for his work with Christopher  Nolan, with the Dark Night trilogy and Interstellar. His musical style is that of downbeat synthesizers mixed with traditional orchestra. 

Hans is so important to mention, because he is considered a genius composer, with his work stretching across all forms of cinema.

 

Alternative Musical Genre -

Musical Genre refers to the style of particular music. This can mean the different use of instruments and even lyrical content. Musical genre almost always relates to visual content. Celtic harp tracks are usually reserved for medieval and fantasy films. While, an electronic rock opera is usually reserved for action/sci-fi films.

However, the visuals do not have to coincided with the musical score. It is not an unwritten rule, and music choice is a creative choice. This is called Soundtrack Dissonance. It is where the music score is somewhat out of context to the movies genre, or particular scene. 

In the following clip, you will be shown an example of soundtrack dissonance. In this case, it is used to show irony - we are being told "what a wonderful world" while being presented imagery to question this. It is an example of music used as creative choices.

Podcasts:

podcasts are episodic audio programs available digitally through audio streaming services. They are designed to be a free 'on demand' radio network. 

Anyone with internet access can create a podcast and share them online. 

Why are podcasts rising in popularity?

Podcast media is in demand of new voices. There are 5% the amount of podcast channels as apposed to YouTube content creators alone; And, so Podcasts are a better way to get your voice heard by a wider audience. This media form is also great for repurposing videos. An old YouTube video can be repurposed into a podcast, not the other way around. 

In the year 2020, there was a 27% rise in podcasts across the UK, leading to 30 million episodes over lockdown. This is because Podcast production is simple. You do not have to worry about lighting or camera focus, as there is no image required. 

These shows also make for a great second income for many people, with the average American podcaster earning up to $30 (per 1,000 views) per minute. Because of this, many podcasting companies will try to include guest celebrities for clickbait.

Podcasts that have inspired me over lockdown:

The Ricky Gervais Show - comedy

Monday Morning With Bill Burr - comedy

The Joe Rogan Experience - comedy talk show

The British History - educational 

Gospel Of Ghost - musical

Ideas:

1. Historical show detailing the common misconceptions of middle age England - historically accurate/educational information of historical facts that have changed through time and are considered fact to this day. 
2. Historical show putting the listener in the perspective of 'X' - relies on sound FX, monotone speaking and a script to accurately tell historically stories from the perspective of YOU.
3. Storytelling of 1st person ironic and relatable events (fictional scripted) - Scripted, told with enthusiasm, modern day stories that the listener can relate to in an amusing way. Told as if it really happened to me.
4. Storytelling of 1st person account (non fiction) - Scripted, modern day stories that the listener may find amusing. Things that really happened to me.
5. Music discussion and interview with 'X' - Music discussion talk show detailing hard rock/metal news and 'bedroom producers' tips. would include a guest speaker.

Final idea:

final idea is Number 4 - 

Storytelling of 1st person account (non fiction) - Scripted, modern day stories that the listener may find amusing. Things that really happened to me.

I have chosen this idea because it is easiest for me to tell. It would require little research and would include no plot holes as it is a true story.

I will need to write a 'prompt' script so that I will not lose track of the subject.

Stylistically, I am aiming for something Dark and monotone. I'm a fan of horror stories online, and though not a horror story, I aim to tell it in that style. As the subject matter is upbeat, I will ensure that I tell it with some enthusiasm while remaining in this particular narrating style.

However, my creative twist is that I will take 'Bill Burr' as inspiration for the dialogue sequences. In a Bill Burr show, he sometimes uses a second mic to shout into. This mic is quiet and only picks up the reverberated room noise. I want to adapt this idea and transform it from a comedic tool to a storytelling aid.

Target Audience :

This particular project is aimed at people who enjoy storytelling. a comedic enthusiasts may not enjoy the podcast, but a horror enthusiast might. The podcast is aimed towards a British demographic, perhaps local. This does not appeal to a  younger audience, and more so for 16+.